Why has Denza become the "hopeless case" like Adou?

While following the TV drama "The Blossoming Xu Kaixin," Zixuan (a pseudonym) was a bit confused by the advertising placement scenes of Denza cars.

Picture/Clip from "The Blossoming Xu Kaixin"   Source/Screenshot from Internet's New Energy View

"Since it's a high - end car, how can a child decide whether to buy it? Isn't it too hasty? Moreover, it also makes people feel that it's not high - end anymore. There's a bit of a sense of brand positioning confusion."

In fact, Denza's marketing strategy has been widely criticized in recent years. Even in the eyes of many industry insiders, the transfer of Zhao Changjiang, the former general manager of Denza's sales division, is not unrelated to this.

Under the fierce competition in the new energy vehicle market, Denza, backed by BYD, seems to lack its own "unique skill" and is difficult to be well - known by a large number of consumers. This is more reflected in the sales volume falling short of expectations. Currently, the main models on sale by Denza include the Denza D9, Denza N9, Denza N7, and the Denza Z9 series. Except for the Denza D9, which sold 8,272 units in June, other models have not made a splash in the high - end market.

As an important tool for BYD's high - end strategy, Denza can hardly be considered a success.

1. "High - start and low - go" after a short - lived glory

It's not an overstatement to describe the current development of China's automotive industry as ever - changing. Among them, Denza's development trajectory is also full of dramatic twists.

Recently, Denza, which doesn't follow the "traffic" route, has frequently made headlines. The news of the leadership change has attracted high attention both inside and outside the industry. Zhao Changjiang, who had been in charge of the Denza brand for three years, now holds the title of "General Manager of Denza Fangchengbao Direct - sales Division." Now, the general manager of Denza's sales division has been replaced by Li Hui.

Picture/Zhao Changjiang's post confirming the personnel change   Source/Screenshot from Weibo's New Energy View

The fact that the sales volume falls short of expectations is like a shadow hanging over the brand, which is also regarded by the outside world as the main reason for Denza's leadership change.

In consumers' perception, except for the Denza D9, which has established a firm foothold in the MPV segment, few other models are memorable. It can even be said that in the minds of many consumers, the Denza brand is almost equivalent to the Denza D9.

Picture/Denza D9   Source/Screenshot from Internet's New Energy View

Of course, the sales performance of the Denza D9 is indeed remarkable.

Since its launch in 2022, it has emerged as a dark horse and quickly stood out in the MPV market. Official data shows that in 2024, the sales volume of the Denza D9 reached 102,951 units, winning the top sales position in the entire MPV market for two consecutive years.

Picture/Denza D9's sales volume in 2024   Source/Screenshot from Internet's New Energy View

In the first half of 2025, the Denza D9 also demonstrated strong market competitiveness. According to Dongchedi data, in June, the monthly sales volume of the Denza D9 was 8,272 units.

Picture/Denza D9's sales volume in June 2025   Source/Screenshot from Internet's New Energy View

However, beneath the glory, a crisis is quietly lurking. Except for the Denza D9, it can be said that none of the other main models under Denza can compete effectively.

In March this year, when the Denza N9 was launched, Zhao Changjiang, who was then the general manager of the Denza division, confidently declared that "the product strength of competitors won't catch up in five years."

However, the market is more brutal than expected. Dongchedi data shows that the sales volume of the N9 in March was only 1,708 units. Obviously, this result is far from Zhao Changjiang's bold claim and expectations, which also surprised many consumers.

Similarly, the Z9 series, which was supposed to be the sharp weapon for the brand to break into the high - end market, also performed mediocrely.

The price range of the Z9 series is between 334,800 and 414,800 yuan, targeting traditional luxury cars such as the Audi A6L and BMW 5 Series. At the same time, it set a goal of "selling 5,000 units per month." But in reality, since its launch, the sales volume of the Z9 series has always fallen short of expectations.

Picture/Denza Z9   Source/Screenshot from Internet's New Energy View

Dongchedi data shows that in June 2025, the monthly sales volumes of the Denza N9, Denza Z9 GT, and Denza N7 were only 4,668 units, 815 units, and 249 units respectively.

As a result, the outside world's view of Denza has always been that from the single - handed dominance of the D9 to the continuous slump of subsequent models such as the Z9 GT and N9, Denza has never been able to break free from the curse of "high - start and low - go."

2. 15 years since establishment, 3 years of high - end pursuit

When you open the Denza official website, the slogan "New luxury in technological safety, a luxury brand under BYD" catches your eye.

Below the slogan, there is a further explanation: "Committed to bringing the desirable new luxury travel ecosystem and sustainable high - end intelligent electric life to global families."

Between the lines, it reveals Denza's vision of making a splash in the high - end new energy vehicle field and creating a high - quality travel experience for global consumers.

However, reality has dealt a heavy blow to this 15 - year - old brand. Especially since it decided to pursue the high - end market in 2022, Denza's journey in the domestic high - end market has been full of bumps, and it has not really opened up the situation yet. It hasn't even successfully passed the test of domestic consumers.

Looking back at Denza's high - end strategic layout, its development process has been full of twists and turns.

Early on, as a brand jointly created by BYD and Daimler, Denza was once highly anticipated. The two parties tried to leverage BYD's profound accumulation in the new energy technology field and Daimler's excellent experience in luxury car manufacturing to create a new world in the high - end new energy vehicle field.

Picture/Denza jointly created by Daimler and BYD   Source/Screenshot from Internet's New Energy View

However, things didn't go as planned. In the early stage of Denza's development, due to different considerations of BYD and Daimler in the electrification path, the two parties had difficulty reaching full consensus on technology integration and product planning, resulting in slow product updates. Moreover, the styling design of the models launched at that time did not conform to the public's aesthetic, being too conservative and rigid, and difficult to attract the attention of young consumers. Coupled with the high selling price, "ugly and expensive" became the first impression of Denza for many people.

In 2022, BYD fully acquired Denza. This major change became a turning point in Denza's development, opening the road of the brand's second - startup and bringing a short - lived glory with the Denza D9.

Picture/BYD's full acquisition of Denza   Source/Screenshot from Internet's New Energy View

However, in the subsequent models launched, Denza failed to continue this glory, and its brand influence has not yet deeply penetrated people's hearts.

Back around 2017, Shuangshuang (a pseudonym) bought a Denza new energy vehicle. When talking about the reason for the purchase, she said helplessly, "There weren't many choices for electric cars at that time, so I bought it."

Recently, Shuangshuang, who plans to change her car, said that she won't consider Denza again. "Although I've driven a Denza for so many years, I haven't paid much attention to this brand since I bought the car. It seems that it hasn't made much of a move. Now, I don't even know what other models there are except for the Denza D9, let alone spending three or four hundred thousand yuan to buy it."

Shuangshuang further said, "More importantly, there are too many new energy vehicle models to choose from in the market now. There are many brands and models at the same price that are more attractive than Denza, whether it's brand awareness or product performance. They attract me more."

3. Why has Denza become the "curse" of BYD's high - end strategy?

It's not hard to see that Denza is trying hard to break into the high - end market, but the high - end road is not easy.

In today's business competition landscape, whether it's the mobile phone industry or the automotive industry, high - end development has become the only way for brands to maintain sustainable development and an important strategy for enterprises to obtain higher profits. BYD understands this well and has spared no effort to package Denza as its high - end brand, trying to get a share of the high - end market.

From a macro perspective of brand strategy, this move is undoubtedly correct. However, reality has poured cold water on BYD's high - end dream.

BYD has left a too deep - rooted "affordable" label in consumers' minds for a long time. Although it has launched independent brands such as Denza and Fangchengbao, consumers still have difficulty completely separating them from BYD in their perception.

In the eyes of many consumers, a series of so - called high - end brands are just "sub - brands" on BYD's high - end path. This perception greatly limits the upward breakthrough space of brands like Denza.

Especially for Denza, as Mercedes - Benz gradually fades out of Denza's development, the high - end genes that Denza originally relied on seem to have fallen apart, which further weakens its high - end image in consumers' minds.

Ms. Wang has no doubts about Denza's product strength, but she can't fully accept its brand positioning. "My family and I did look at some Denza models when choosing a car. To be honest, the configuration seems okay, but I always feel that there's something lacking about this brand."

Ms. Wang said bluntly, "When I think of Denza, I think of BYD. It feels like it's just a derivative brand of BYD and not a real high - end brand. I'm a bit uneasy about spending so much money on it."

In addition to the dilemma at the brand perception level, Denza's difficulty in winning consumers' word - of - mouth in the high - end brand market is also related to technology to some extent.

Currently, in order to seize market share, many car companies are introducing high - end technologies to lower - priced models to enhance product competitiveness. For example, for 100,000 yuan, you can experience XPeng's advanced intelligent driving assistance; for less than 100,000 yuan, you can enjoy NIO's battery - swapping service.

Picture/XPeng's advanced intelligent driving technology introduced to models priced over 100,000 yuan   Source/Screenshot from Internet's New Energy View

However, BYD gives consumers the opposite perception. Denza's three - electric system, chassis technology, etc., are all developed by BYD, which results in an insignificant difference between high - end and mid - low - end models. Taking the Tang